Serena's Eternal Legacy

Legends never go away completely, because time grants them shelter in memory.

Serena Williams has left an indelible mark on sports.

Her figure has entered in her own right among the greatest names of all time, helping to magnify a discipline with global reach.

In the locker room, no one doubts that they have witnessed the career of a legend, someone whose impact has transcended tennis to a point reserved for very few.

The player with the most Grand Slam of the Open Era, that of professional tennis, leaves, with figures that have not been matched in men's tennis today.

Following in the footsteps of her sister Venus, an icon and key figure for equality, Serena is a key link in the evolution of the sport.

She changed the style of play with a much more aggressive tennis, with a total toughness, and soon became a dominator of the circuit.

Those of us who have lived with her know the feeling of her around her.

That aura that surrounds people of special presence and charisma.

She competed with an innate claw, she always intimidated from respect and it didn't take long for her to gain authority in the locker room.

I grew up watching her lift her biggest titles on television and facing her was always a privilege.

I vividly remember the first time I saw her in person.

It was 2007, I was playing in the qualifying phase of a tournament in the United States and I will never forget the feeling.

I was impressed by how worked and fiber she was, the strength she transmitted in the short distance.

He admired her ability on the court, but also the way she was able to develop her game.

As I grew up, with a regular presence on the WTA circuit, I had the great pleasure of sharing a dressing room with her.

I cannot deny that she has been the toughest opponent I have ever faced.

I suffered her many times, including the final in Miami, but she always had those shots and that ability to turn matches into a huge challenge.

Despite his greatness, he never lost his closeness.

She always treated me with the utmost respect, both her and her close circle.

I remember an episode with her sister in 2009 that I will never be able to forget, and I would say neither could her family.

I faced Venus at the Australian Open, it was the second round and we played night shift.

I went back to the limit, raising match point.

I had never faced Serena and as fate would have it, the following year, also in Melbourne, we met in the third round.

That day I could notice the intimidation, in a sporting sense.

I noticed how he was going for the game with absolute hunger, with maximum intensity from the first moment.

At that moment, in my own flesh, I felt what it takes to be a true champion.

He was in front of me, looking me in the face, just a few meters away.

After that game we faced each other six times.

It was different surfaces, different tournament heights, but I never even managed to win a set.

I didn't know how to find his weaknesses on the track, or hurt him with my weapons.

If at some point there was an opportunity, something really complicated, I didn't know how to take advantage of it.

The reality of her never took her off the locker room, she being one more companion for many of us.

In the corridors, in the hotels, she was a person who was always treated with great respect.

And she was always present at different times.

The year I got sick, when she found out that she was retiring, she had some nice words of encouragement.

On my return to the circuit at Roland Garros 2021, when he coincided in the tournament, he came to talk to me for a few minutes.

She was interested in my state of health and he told me he was very happy to see me back.

It may seem unimportant, or it may be thought that he did what so many players do.

But Serena was one of the few who stopped to chat at length and that is something that I valued from the heart.

Her career has been an example of overcoming.

With injuries overcome, serious health problems and even playing Grand Slam finals after being a mother.

That shows an unusual value.

She has competed through generations, starting from scratch and measuring herself against younger tennis players, in physical splendor, without losing an iota of authority.

During the last few years we have missed her figure, it has been difficult to see her continuously and we have few opportunities left to enjoy her legend.

Serena has been and is necessary in tournaments, perhaps not as a rival, but for the fan.

Time passes, also for the best.

This sport involves total hardness if one is not 100%.

It may be that her priorities have changed, the family is something that she longs for when she competes on the other side of the world and she has a precious illusion to grow hers.

Saying goodbye, or evolving in tennis as she says, seems necessary.

The void that remains is enormous, but his legacy will live on forever.

Someone who has been an inspiration for many generations is leaving, a professional reason for many active players.

It's time to enjoy yours without the distance involved in the circuit.

We will see tributes and emotional moments.

One of the greatest athletes of recent decades is leaving us, a global icon beyond sports.

Someone is leaving who has achieved the great milestone: being the bar to emulate in times that we may not even see.

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